I think it would be useful for #medtwitter to have a conversation about “lifestyle specialties”. I would like to open the discussion with:

1. There is enormous variability with how we define “lifestyle”
2. There is a wide range of practice types within specialities
3. I am not into shaming people for wanting more control over or more boundaries between work and life

What do you all think? I think this is a helpful thing for us to understand each other and to give some more dimension for students and residents making decisions about their careers.

I also want to hold space for those who have less of a “choice” in selecting a specialty for myriad reasons. Even in medicine, “choosing what you love” is a privilege. I know many people who would have trained more if they didn’t have financial demands or other life demands.

It’s very important to acknowledge that at some point we all make choices for our own unique personal reasons. That’s why everyone is deserving of respect and gratitude!

And it’s important to remember that things you hear about specialities are usually “good old days/bad old days lore” and/or based on “This one guy (and yes usually man) that someone knew”. Many differences w/in ea specialty. And let’s stop saying anything in medicine is “easy”